Target: Juan Vincente Herrera, President of Castile de Leon, Spain
Goal: Praise end to torture and slaughter of bulls at an annual festival and encourage end to all bull cruelty in Spain.
Bulls will no longer be killed at an annual town festival in Spain, thanks to a new law passed by the local government. The Toro de la Vega festival involves chasing bulls and then ultimately killing them with spears. Thanks to pressure from animal rights activists and petitions like this one on ForceChange, this bull killing tournament has been outlawed.
Defenders of the Toro de la Vega tournament argue that chasing and killing the bulls is a tradition which is important to Spanish heritage. However, as human beings we must recognize that many of our traditions need to be changed in order to protect the safety and well-being of other creatures. A ceremony which tortures and kills innocent animals cannot be justified simply because it is a tradition.
This law does not address bullfighting, another traditional Spanish practice in which bulls are tortured and killed, but the passage of this law indicates that public opinion is turning against Spanish traditions that cause unnecessary harm to animals. Hopefully this legislation will pave the way for bullfighting to be outlawed soon.
Sign the petition below to thank the government of Castile de Leon for taking a positive step forward in the fight for animal rights.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear President Herrera,
I want to thank you for outlawing the killing of bulls at the annual Toro de la Vega festival. Every year, bulls suffer in fear as they are chased by men on horseback and then experience painful and prolonged deaths by having spears thrown at them. Thanks to the new law in Castile de Leon, bulls will no longer have to suffer such a fate for human entertainment.
Ending this tradition must not have been an easy decision, as the festival was an important part of Spanish heritage. But you and your fellow members of the government have opened the door to establishing new traditions which cause no harm to animals. Thank you for recognizing that some traditions must be changed in order to prevent cruelty and suffering.
Now that you have taken this incredible step forward, I hope that you will also consider putting an end to bullfighting, another practice which causes pain and death to animals. Public opinion in Spain is clearly shifting away from supporting violent ceremonies, and I hope you will use this shift to enact more positive change.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Manuel González Olaechea y Franco
